Milwaukee, WI vs Bakersfield, CA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Milwaukee, WI outspends Bakersfield, CA by a wide margin per resident — $19,417 versus $11,576, a 68% difference. A gap this size usually reflects a structurally different service mix or accounting scope rather than a single line item.
Milwaukee, WI edges Bakersfield, CA on the Fiscal Health Score by 6 points — 62/100 (grade C) to 56/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Their budgets diverge on where the largest per-resident dollars go: Milwaukee, WI leads with police at $3,642 per resident, while Bakersfield, CA leads with parks and recreation at $741.
They also fund themselves differently: sales tax is the largest single revenue source in Milwaukee, WI at 59% of total revenue, whereas Bakersfield, CA relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Milwaukee spends 67.7% more per capita than Bakersfield ($7,841/person difference). Milwaukee, WI has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 62/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $1 |
| Sales Tax | $6,548 | $20 |
| Income Tax | $1 | $1,909 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,231 | $3,862 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,024 |
| Other | $3,984 | $1,915 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Police | $3,642 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $802 | $0 |
| Highways & Roads | $23 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $180 | $840 |
| Health | $1 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $0 | $425 |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,206 | $741 |
| Housing | $1,071 | $3,391 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $265 |
| Utilities | $1,866 | $2,679 |
| Interest on Debt | $1,608 | $0 |
| Other | $8,018 | $3,234 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.